Mayor to apologize over hostage crisisThe City Council of Manila has passed a resolution granting authority to Mayor Joseph Estrada to personally apologize to Hong Kong for the 2010 hostage crisis that left eight people dead, according to media reports on October 22.

Hong Kong government will seek justice for the families of the victims and injured people in the Hong Kong hostage crisis in Manila three years ago.-- Hong Kong Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying said October 22 in Beijing

Chinese central government

China on October 7 urged the Philippines to take substantial measures to properly resolve the Manila hostage crisis which left eight Hong Kong tourists dead three years ago.

As long as the Philippine government owes Hong Kong an apology and compensation for the Manila hostage crisis in 2010…anger will keep building among Hong Kong’s citizens, who will eventually turn to China’s central government for help and increase their appeals to put pressure on the Philippines.

However, a county’s foreign policy depends on many aspects, such as the overall interests of the country, regional security and international relations. The central government may not play the hard ball that the democratic activists in Hong Kong seek, which will in turn provoke further criticism from the pro-democracy camp. Therefore, the Hong Kong government should be open to opinions from all sides and seek effective ways to negotiate with the Philippine government. If the crisis remains unresolved, the Hong Kong government, or even the central government, will be put in an unfavorable position.

Stnn.ccThe hostage crisis is not a political liability for Joseph Estrada as it occurred when Alfredo Lim was the mayor of Manila. Estrada’s political reputation will not be ruined if he apologizes for the mistake of his predecessor. Estrada will even win more political support if he gains forgiveness from the victims and their relatives through apologies and compensation, persuades the Hong Kong government to lift its travel ban to the Philippines, and eliminate any risk of sanctions. The Philippines may benefit economically from Estrada’s visit to Beijing and Hong Kong in November.